A New York court has ordered Staten Island billionaire Michael Esposito, owner of three La Rosa Grill franchises, to pay $2.78 million to Kelly Andrade, a Colombian immigrant who worked as a live-in nanny for his family. Andrade discovered that a hidden camera had been installed in her bedroom smoke detector, which had been secretly recording her for weeks. The jury’s award took into account Andrade’s emotional distress and awarded Esposito punitive damages, but Andrade expressed disappointment in the verdict, saying it was insufficient for the trauma she suffered.
In 2021, Andrade emigrated to the United States from Colombia to be placed with the Esposito family through Cultural Care Au Pair Agency. While the Esposito mansion was undergoing renovation, Andrade was hired to care for Esposito and Danielle’s four children while living with Danielle’s parents in Tottenville, Staten Island. Despite starting the job with high expectations, Andrade quickly became suspicious of her employer’s attitude.
Andrade noticed Esposito, 35, frequently coming into her room and adjusting her smoke detectors. “When I got home he seemed very nervous, very anxious,” Andrade later told Yahoo News of the moments leading up to the discovery. The smoke detectors were “constantly being repositioned by Esposito,” according to Andrade’s lawsuit.
Less than three weeks into the job, Andrade inspected the equipment and made a shocking discovery: a small hidden camera inside. As detailed in the lawsuit, the memory card contained “hundreds of recordings,” many of which showed her “nude and/or changing/undressed.” To Andrade’s horror, she quickly realized that Esposito had been recording her without her consent.
Andrade was terrified when she realized what had happened. Esposito arrived at her house as soon as she realized what had happened, but his actions only intensified her fears. Fearing that Esposito had a weapon, he “began banging on the door” of her apartment while she pretended to be asleep, according to the New York Post. Faced with this terrifying situation, Andrade decided to flee. She jumped out of a first-floor window, injuring her knee in the process.
“I had to get away,” Andrade recalled during the trial, explaining her decision to flee. She spent the night hiding in the bushes on the street. The next day, Andrade gave the camera footage to the police, who arrested Esposito on March 24, 2021. The charges against Esposito included illegal surveillance, a felony that could lead to up to four years in prison. Despite his arrest, Esposito’s legal fate took a surprising turn. In April 2022, he was granted a plea deal that included one year of counseling. Upon successfully completing the program, Esposito’s felony charge was downgraded to attempted illegal surveillance, a misdemeanor. The final sentence gave Esposito just two years of probation, angering Andrade and his defense team. Andrade expressed her dissatisfaction with the sentence, saying, “Considering the entire situation I’ve been through over the last three years, the sentence is not enough. It’s not enough.” Her lawyer, Zachary Holtzberg, also criticized the lenient sentence, saying, “He did this and yet he gets to go home to his house with his wife and kids and she sleeps on the street.”
During the four-day civil trial in Brooklyn Federal Court, Andrade testified for three days about the pain and trauma he suffered, but Esposito never took the stand to defend his actions. The jury ultimately awarded Andrade $780,000 in damages for emotional distress and an additional $2 million in punitive damages to Esposito.
While the verdict brought some relief to Andrade, she is not satisfied with the overall outcome. Reflecting on her ordeal, she said: “Going to trial was not easy for me. It was a very difficult time for me. It brings back memories that I am trying to forget.”
Now living in New Jersey with her husband of two years, Andrade has chosen to speak out to encourage victims of abuse, especially au pairs and immigrants, to report their abusers. “I want to encourage the many au pairs and immigrants who have been victims of abuse: don’t be silent. Don’t be afraid to report your abuser,” Andrade told the New York Post.
In addition to her legal victory against Esposito, Andrade also settled a lawsuit with Cultural Care Au Pair, the agency that placed her with the Espositos. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Despite winning her lawsuit, Andrade remains focused on healing and moving forward. She feels the legal punishment handed down to Esposito is insufficient for the harm she suffered. “I was angry because the harm he caused me is irreparable,” Andrade told reporters.
